Running Away
by song-left-unheard
Summary: Darcy/Lizzie Future-fic. Sometimes people just aren't compatible. Lizzie and Darcy recover from a failed relationship. But it's hard to recover when they have to see each other everyday AND be surrounded by happy couples. How much will it take to heal these gaping wounds?
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: My first time writing for the LBD! Just couldn't get the thoughts out of my head :) At least 3 chapters, probably more! Hope you like it! (Sorry if there a little angsty and out of character at the beginning, still getting the feel for their voice!)**

She was really glad they could be adults about it.

"This doesn't work."

He said it first, even though it was what she was thinking. They were sitting in stony silence at the dinner table one night, both chewing their steak while glaring at each other, after a particularly bad disagreement.

"I know," Lizzie agreed quietly, her gaze softening on her boyfriend of a year, Will Darcy. She'd moved in with him shortly after they'd gotten together, once she had taken the job at Pemberley and moved to San Francisco permanently.

"So, what do you want to do about it?" Will asked, staring at his plate.

"I'm going to take the job in New York," Lizzie replied.

And that was the end of it. Lizzie's boss had offered her a job heading a new project for Pemberley digital, but it involved moving to New York City. She had rejected it at first so she could stay in California with Will, but now it was just what she needed to get away and start fresh.

In a matter of days she packed up all her things, cleared out of Will's mansion, said her goodbyes to Gigi, Fitz, and her family, and hopped on a plane to her new life.

And Lizzie is really happy she and Darcy (not Will anymore, she constantly reprimands herself) can be mature about it all. They just didn't work together, they have too much of a history. But it's important for both of them that they stay on speaking terms. With Jane and Bing, mending their relationship, and "well on their way to being engaged and making grandbabies" (according to Mrs. Bennet), it's especially important.

Lizzie tells Jane and Lydia and Charlotte that she's happy in New York. It even starts to feel like home after six months there. She loves her job. She's making friends with her colleagues. She's even seeing someone, Jack. They've been together for four months and he's a real gentleman.

But Lizzie is a really bad liar. She'd never admit it, but she misses waking up and feeling Will (Darcy!) beside her. She misses his bowties and she misses his rare smiles. She misses his winks across the table during boring meetings. She misses his frequent stops by her office. She misses his mouth on hers when he pressed her against the wall and… "Stop Lizzie!" she reprimands herself quietly as she unlocks her apartment door. "We're not going down that path again."

She throws her bag on a chair and slips off her shoes. She's got an hour and a half before Jack's picking her up for dinner and she needs to shower and change. Plus she's expecting her weekly Thursday call from Charlotte.

Lizzie slips down the narrow hallway into her bedroom and flops on her bed grabbing a book from her night table. The phone rings and she answers it without glancing at the caller ID.

"Char?" she asks, expecting to hear her best friend on the other end.

Instead a high pitched shriek meets her ears.

"Lizzie!" Jane squeals. "Bing! He proposed! Bing proposed! Lizzie, we're going to be married!"

Lizzie's book drops limply from her hand, it is probably the first time she's ever been stunned into silence.

"Lizzie?" Jane asks, excitement still filling her voice. "You there?"

Lizzie remembers herself and responds quickly.

"That's great Jane. Congratulations!" she squeaks out, trying to hide her surprise.

Jane's voice gets a little quieter on the other end. "Are you coming home soon Lizzie? You know I want you to be my bridesmaid right?"

"Of course, I'm coming home for the wedding. When is it?"

"We're thinking the end of August, but that's not what I asked Lizzie."

"That soon? That's only like three months, it's just May now."

"I know, but Mom will be helping us plan and all, and I was hoping you would be coming home to help too…" Jane trails off.

"I can't just come home Jane, I've got work here." Lizzie expertly evades talking about what Jane really wants to hear.

"But you can work from California now. The projects well underway, even Darcy says you could manage it from home."

"Darcy!" Lizzie squeaks.

"Just tell me the truth Lizzie. Are you really not coming home because of Darcy? I thought you guys were okay. You're seeing someone else; he's seeing someone else—"

"Darcy has a girlfriend!" Lizzie interrupts Jane.

"Yes, I thought you knew. Are you upset?"

"No Jane. Of course not. That's ridiculous. I was just, uh, surprised, that's all," Lizzie responds quickly running a hand through her hair.

"You've both been mature. You've moved on. Look, think about it. You could come home for the summer and go back to New York after the wedding, if you really want to. See if Jack can get some time off as well, I'd love to meet him. Please just promise me you'll consider it. I'll really need your help planning the wedding! And Charlotte and Lydia miss you too. Even Gigi misses you. Have you talked to her recently?"

"Um, yeah. I'll think about it Jane. I've got to go get ready for dinner with Jack. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye Lizzie," Jane says.

"Bye," Lizzie responds and quickly hangs up the phone.

The truth is: she hasn't talked to Gigi lately. She just feels awkward picking up the phone and calling her ex-boyfriends little sister. But she really does miss Gigi, and Lydia, and Charlotte, of course.

Thinking of Charlotte, she checks the times and realizes she only has forty-five minutes to get ready for her date. She sends a quick apology text to Charlotte, promising to reschedule their phone call, and hops in the shower

Lizzie and Jack catch a cab back to her apartment after dinner in China Town. She unlocks the door and he sits on her bed while she pours drinks in her tiny kitchen. They sit, sipping cheap wine in her bedroom, when she breaks the news.

"Jane's getting married," she says.

"Really? That's great! To Bing?"

Lizzie just nods. Jack is so different from Darcy. He's outgoing and friendly, but also very kind and sweet when they're alone. He's thoughtful and very intelligent.

Lizzie told herself she wasn't going to date colleagues after she broke up with Darcy (or rather they mutually broke up), but she made and exception for Jack. After all, he was nothing like Darcy. But sometimes he wore a bowtie. He stopped when she told him she didn't like.

"Jane wants me to come home for the summer, maybe even forever. They don't really need me here in New York anymore, other people can take over this project and they want me for some new things."

The smile slips off Jack's face. "Well, are you?" he asks cautiously. He knows Lizzie is headstrong, and if she decides to leave he won't stop her. But he also makes himself a silent promise that he won't follow her.

"I think..." Lizzie pauses, assessing the situation, something she didn't do regularly until she met Darcy. "I think I miss them, and they miss me. And I think I'm ready to move on from this."

"Move on from what?" Jack asks quietly, his brow crinkling in a frown. "Move on from us?"

"Not from us, from this project. I want to do something new. I want you to come with me." Lizzie says, staring directly into his eyes.

Jack leans down and kisses her. Long and lingering. A sweet kiss, but when he pulls away he shakes his head, thinking of his silent promise.

"Sorry baby," he says, and handing her his wine glass he slips out the door, leaving Lizzie a little more broken then she was before.

The next day, she cleans out her apartment and gets on a plane.

"It's not running away," she repeats to herself as New York falls away underneath her.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: AHHH! :) So many favorites and follows and reviews! I love you guys! Please keep them coming! **

"Lizzie! Why didn't you call? We weren't expecting you!"

Jane's a mass of red hair and squeals as she launches herself into Lizzie's arms as soon as the door opens. Lizzie hugs tightly and then they pull away. Jane's all smiles and Lizzie notices the beautiful diamond on her finger. She's about to explain herself, when Lydia comes bounding down the stairs, pulling both Jane and Lizzie into another hug.

Lizzie notices how good Lydia looks. Healthy and happy; Lizzie's so glad she managed to heal after the incident.

"So Lizzie, why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" Jane asks again as she closes the door and takes Lizzie's suitcase from her hand.

"Uh, it was a kind of last minute decision thing," Lizzie responds, trying to sound offhand. "I fixed it with my boss, and I'm going to start a new project for Pemberley, while someone else takes over my old position. That way I can be in California and help with the wedding." She gives Jane an extra big smile and Jane gives her a questioning look.

"You sounded unsure on the phone though, why the quick turn around?" Jane asks, not letting Lizzie off the hook so easily.

Lizzie's saved the trouble of answering by a sound on the stairs.

"Lydia?" a girl calls. "What's going on?"

Much to Lizzie's surprise, Gigi Darcy is the one descending the stairs. Lizzie knows that they bonded over there shared dislike of Wickham, but she hadn't realized how close of friends they were.

_Maybe if I had returned Gigi's calls or talked to Lydia more often…_Lizzie thinks to herself. _For a girl who had a video blog, I kind of suck at communication. _She makes a silent promise to have a long chat with Lydia later.

"Lizzie! I didn't realize you were coming back to California!" Gigi shrieks. "I haven't talked to you in forever! How have you been?"

Lizzie doesn't miss the pointed look from Jane as she responds. "Yeah Gigi…New York was great, I just wanted to be home to plan the wedding. And I've missed all of you."

And she really has. Gigi's enthusiasm is catching, and Lizzie finds herself being genuinely happy to be home and seeing the younger girl.

Gigi checks her watch. "Oh gosh, I've got to run to make dinner with Will! You want to do lunch tomorrow Lizzie; I'd love to catch up with you?"

There's his name. The name she's dreaded hearing, because it sends stabbing pain through her chest. She's stunned and can't form a thought to answer Gigi's question.

She finally forms a coherent thought. "Sure, that'd be great. The Chinese place?"

"Cool! See you tomorrow! Bye Lydia! Bye Jane!" and with that, she's gone.

Lizzie follows Jane and Lydia into the kitchen where Jane grabs three sodas from the fridge and some cookies (of course homemade) from the cabinet. Lizzie feels a little nervous; Jane gets food when there in for a long talk.

"So Bing and Darcy are at Netherfield full time?" she asks, trying to sound offhand.

"Bing is, but Darcy's only here on some weekends," Jane responds. He's mostly in San Francisco at Pemberley. But I think he's going to spend the whole summer at Netherfield. Caroline is coming back too at the beginning of June. I wasn't really expecting for you another week or two at the least Lizzie."

"Yeah, some stuff happened," Lizzie says trying to avoid answering the implied question, but a look from both Jane and Lydia makes her decide to just fess up.

"Jack broke up with me," she says. "Well, sort of…I told him I was coming home and wanted him to come too and he left. Guess I wasn't that important…" her voice breaks a little, but she's not going to cry.

Lydia reaches for her hand, but she keeps them tightly folded. She isn't dissing Lydia, but she knows if Lydia tries to comfort her, she really will start crying.

"And there was other stuff too. I just…I really want to be here for you and Bing, Jane. And I'm bored. New York was nice, but I'm ready to move on." She tries to sound strong, but she's not sure who she's trying to convince, her sisters or herself.

There's a silence and then Lydia breaks it in a characteristic Lydia fashion.

"So let's address the giant hipster in the room, what about Darcy?"

"What about him?" Lizzie says trying not to squeak.

"Do you still like him?"

"No, of course not Lydia."

"So, that's a yes." Lydia says cracking into a giant smile.

"No. It's been four months, he has a girlfriend. I do not still like Darcy."

Lydia laughs, "Fine sis, I'll let you get away with your lies. For now." she winks at Jane and it's almost like nothing has changed.

It hasn't really, Lizzie thinks later, curled up into bed, in her old room (Finally hers again, now that her mother gave up on meditation!). Lydia has recovered well, she's still Lydia. And Jane's still sweet; she just knows how to stick up for herself now.

As if she's been conjured up by the mere act of thinking about her, Jane slips through the door and curls up into bed with Lizzie.

"Hey," she whispers. "I'm really glad your home."

"Me too," Lizzie whispers back.

"So are you going to go back to working at the main Pemberley office permanently now?"

"I think so. My boss says I can work on the Domino application. He was really nice about it all."

"That's good."

There's a short pause. Lizzie takes a deep breath and steels herself to ask the next question.

"What's Darcy's girlfriend like?"

Surprisingly Jane doesn't pry at all.

"She's very pretty and very nice. Quiet like him, but always kind to me when we double date."

Lizzie cringes a little at that. She, Darcy, Bing, and Jane used to double date together.

"Are they serious?"

"She hasn't moved in with him yet. She doesn't work at Pemberley, Lizzie."

"So how did he meet her?"

"Why don't you ask him Lizzie? I thought you two were being very civil about all this. Have you even talked to him since you split?"

Lizzie considers lying, but then decides she's had enough of that.

"No," she whispers.

There's a very long pause.

"Do you still love him?"

_The truth, _she reminds herself.

"I miss him."

Jane's hand finds her hand in the dark, and she gives it a squeeze.

They fall asleep that way, and sometime in the night Lydia finds her way into the bed as well.

**A/N: So, some sisterly love for you all! And Gigi next chapter yay! Darcy's coming, I promise :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Lunch with Gigi is…illuminating? (Was that Darcyism?)

Gigi, thankfully, doesn't mention the fact that Lizzie hasn't called her in months, and Lizzie is very grateful to talk freely with her friend again. It's nice to pick up just where they left off.

Gigi talks about grad school and Lizzie empathizes whole hardily.

"So what are you going to be doing at Pemberley, now that you're back?" Gigi asks.

"Just working on some Domino stuff. It's been so popular since it's launched. I may be making some more promotional videos like you did," Lizzie responds with a smile.

Those videos were part of the reason she and Darcy managed to get together. If Gigi hadn't revealed how Darcy saved Lydia, she would have never approached him to thank him, and they would never have ended up making out in his office and getting into a real relationship.

But Lizzie can't help but wonder if that was a good thing at all. Of course she's still grateful to Darcy for what he did. And the making out was not related to her thanks at all. But in the long run, all she and Darcy managed to prove is that history matters. It was too hard for him to forget entirely what she had said to him and about him on her video blog and it was too hard for her to forget how had been rude and a complete douche to her. Eventually their minor disagreements that resulted from their turbulent history became too much.

Lost in her reminiscing, Lizzie doesn't hear Gigi's question until she repeats it.

"So are you still dating Jack? Lydia told me about him a few months ago."

"Uh no…he broke up with me when I told him I was leaving."

Gigi's face drops a little, "Oh, I'm so sorry for bringing him up…"

"No, don't worry. It's fine," Lizzie rushes to interject. "We wanted different things. That's all right."

"So," Lizzie says trying to sound off hand, but hoping that Gigi can divulge more information than her sisters. "Do you like Darcy's girlfriend?"

"Katelyn is nice," Gigi says shortly.

_Well at least she has a name now,_ Lizzie thinks bitterly. She knows better than to push for more info, lest Gigi get suspicious.

"And how's Fitz and Brandon?" she asks, changing subjects.

"There good!" Gigi says brightly. "Brandon was busy the other night, so Fitz, Will, Katelyn, and I went out to karaoke."

Lizzie almost chokes on her water as she recollects trips to karaoke where she replaced Katelyn. Will awkwardly singing a love song, only forced to by Gigi after he had a few drinks and could be more easily persuaded.

"How was that?" Lizze says, coughing slightly.

"It was fun, but Katelyn's not nearly as much fun as you are when you get drunk," Gigi says with a crooked smile.

Lizzie coughs again, blushing furiously.

"Speaking of my brother, have you talked to him recently? I mean, does he know your home?" Gigi continues.

"Not really," Lizzie replies. "I assume he knows, because you were never very good at keeping secrets." Lizzie gives her friend a pointed look.

Gigi laughs. "Yeah, but I haven't told him yet. I figured you should talk things out with neither having the upper hand."

"What do you mean? We don't have anything to talk out."

"You sure about that?" Gigi asks, raising one eyebrow.

Lizzie becomes incredibly interested in her food, but she wishes she didn't, because she doesn't hear him approach until he speaks behind her head.

"Gigi? I thought we were doing lunch at one…Lizzie?"

Lizzie immediately thinks of a long chain of words that would make her mother have a heart attack if she ever heard them uttered by her daughter. But she doesn't have time to say them aloud, because Gigi is off and running, claiming a sudden urge to use the bathroom.

Darcy clears his throat and awkwardly sits.

He looks good, Lizzie can't deny it. He's wearing a button-down light blue shirt, a black jacket, and a black bow-tie. Kind of fancy, even for Darcy, but she assumes he must have had a meeting this morning. He breaks the silence first.

"Lizzie, I, uh, I didn't know you were coming home?"

"Yes, I'm going to do some work for the Domino app so I'll be in California for a while. This way I can help plan the wedding."

He looks confused for a brief moment, and then nods. "Right, the wedding. Bing and Jane's wedding."

She nods as well, and then spits out the only, and stupidest, thing she can think of.

"So Gigi was just telling me about your girlfriend."

He looks startled, but manages to form a somewhat coherent sentence.

"Yes, Katelyn."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Just about four months. Gigi has informed me that you have been seeing someone as well."

"I was, but we're no longer together."

"Oh."

Darcy pulls his chin into his neck, his most awkward gesture, and Lizzie is struck by how much she wants to take his hand at the moment. Just like she used to do whenever he got uncomfortable in social situations. She'd take his hand and gently squeeze it.

As if by reflex, she unfolds her hands and sets them flat on the table. He looks at them for a moment, but doesn't say anything.

Lizzie really wants to hold his hand. Hold it and say, _where did this all go wrong Will? We had something and I want it back. Because I really miss you. _

But she can't say it, because she's not sure if it's true. She's missed him, but she doesn't want what they had back. She's in love with the idea of having a relationship with him, but the actual process of it was awful. She doesn't want that back at all.

Thankfully he says something first.

"It was, uh, good to see you, Lizzie. Let me know if you, uh, need any help moving back into your office. I'd make sure to get someone on that."

She doesn't miss the meaning behind his words. They aren't together anymore, and he isn't sorry at all.

"Thank you. I'll see you around, I guess."

"I'm sure," he agrees. "Tell Gigi, I'm sorry lunch didn't work for today. I was so sure she told me one." He almost cracks a smile and then he remembers.

Without another word, he's gone, just as quickly as he came.

**A/N: ASDFGHJKL! So much love for this story, I love you guys 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I needed Jing, so here you go! The episode today was just AHHHHH :D Listened to this fanmix while writing: /sadarcy/my-love-is-too-big-for-you-my-love Check it out! **

"Lizzie! Lydia! I really need your help!"

Jane Bennet is a whirlwind as she rushes into her sister's room. Lizzie and Lydia are lying on Lizzie's bed talking and Jane's happy to see them happy together. But she's also panicking. She's getting married in just under three months and she really needs someone to save her from her mother.

"Jane? What's up?" Lizzie says sitting up.

Jane collapses on the bed between her sisters. "Mom is trying to make a guest list," she says, eyes wide with the fear of what she's just narrowly escaped.

Lydia stifles a giggle.

"Should I get out the hat?" Lizzie asks with a mischievous grin, already reaching under her bed for the bucket of costume-theater supplies she still keeps there.

"No, Lizzie…" Jane sighs. "Please, will you guys just come help me calm her down?"

"Of course Jane, I'll go now," Lizzie says with a brave grimace.

Lydia laughs and Lizzie rounds on her.

"And you my most darling baby sister, will of course want to help me right?" Lizzie says with an evil grin.

Lydia sighs loudly.

"Come on!" Lizzie says grabbing Lydia's arm and pulling her off the bed. "Jane, why don't you hide out her for a few minutes?"

Jane nods and gives her sisters a grateful smile. It'd been two weeks since Lizzie came home and Jane was so thankful that she was here to help. She lies back in Lizzie's bed and stares at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she inhales the scent of her sisters; Lizzie's books, Lydia's perfume, Chamomile tea and snicker doodle cookies.

She closes her eyes and thinks about how she'll be leaving soon. She's excited to move in with Bing and start their life together, excited to breathe him in every morning. Not in a creepy way; just in an 'it will be nice to wake up next to him every day' way.

The door opens and Jane shuts her eyes tighter not wanting to face her mother or even her sisters. But what's that new smell? A faint hint of cologne and the sweet smell of someone she loves.

She sits up leans her back against the wall, pulling her knees up into her. Bing slips off his shoes and climbs onto the bed with her, pulling his knees up as well. He slips his hand into hers and squeezes gently.

"Lizzie told me you were up here," Bing says. "Your mom seems a little upset about something."

Jane cracks a small smile and Bing kisses the top of her head gently.

"Jane, you're happy right?" Bing asks carefully.

"I'm happy with you," Jane says quietly.

"You want to get married right?"

He sounds so genuinely worried that Jane can't help but giggle.

"Bing, I think if we don't get married, my mother would actually go into a heartbreak coma and then you'd have to go back to medical school a find a cure for her."

Bing laughs and kisses her forehead again.

Jane leans her head upwards and kisses him on the mouth, sweet and gentle. They sit that way for a while; one pair of hand intertwined, her other hand on the back of his neck, his other hand on her back, pulling them together, mouths locked.

Lydia enters the room without knocking and the couple quickly breaks apart.

"Ew," Lydia says, and both Jane and Bing blush. "Jane you better come down soon. Dad just got home and you know he's going to manage to wind up mom even more."

"I didn't know that was possible," Bing whispers to his fiancée.

"You guys are so disgustingly adorable," Lydia says and Bing turns even redder. "Are you staying for dinner, Bing?" Lydia inquires.

"Nah, I have to get back home with something organic before Caroline flips out since I was supposed to be home a half hour ago," Bing says with a laugh.

"Would you remind her that we're doing a bridesmaid meeting next week?" Jane asks.

Bing nods and with one last kiss for his bride to be, he's out the door.

Jane and Lydia listen to him thank Mrs. Bennet profusely, but insist that he must get home. Finally they hear Lizzie yell, "GOD MOM! HE SAYS HE HAS TO GO HOME. JUST LET HIM GO!" Silence falls and they hear the front door close quietly and the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway.

"I think we should go keep Mom from ripping Lizzie to shreds," Jane suggests to her youngest sister.

"Must we?" Lydia pleads; eyes wide with horror upon entering the scene that must be playing out downstairs.

Jane just nods. And together she and Lydia descend to the kitchen in the hopes of diffusing the war zone brewing there.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlotte walks into Lizzie's room without knocking, and finds her best friend in the midst of filming.

"Lizzie?" Charlotte asks confused. She thought that they had agreed to stop making videos after Lizzie got together with Darcy and started working full time at Pemberley.

"CHARLOTTE!" Lizzie says, turning around quickly and flinging herself at her best friend with joy.

Charlotte remembers, a little too late, that she's supposed to be surprising Lizzie. She had called Jane to tell her that she was going to come home for two months so she could be around for the wedding planning. She had worked hard to get Mr. Collins to agree to give her the time off and had to promise a million times over that she would continue working from home. She had asked Jane to keep it a secret.

"Hi Lizzie," Charlotte says into Lizzie's shoulder, as she returns her friend's embrace.

Lizzie pulls back from the hug, a huge grin on her face. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? How long are you around for? How did Ricky agree to this?"

"Until after the wedding," Charlotte answers the only question that isn't rhetorical. "Why didn't you tell me you were filming again?"

Lizzie looks over her shoulder back towards the camera that is attached to her computer.

"It's for work. I'm doing Domino promotion videos for now, because I can do it from home and I can't go back to San Francisco now," Lizzie explains.

"Like Gigi's?" Charlotte asks, smiling as she remembers Lizzie finding out about Gigi's videos and Darcy's involvement in saving Lydia. Lizzie had a Mrs. Bennet sized panic at that news.

"Content a little more professional," Lizzie says, returning the smile. "Though I do complain about the wedding a lot!"

"How's the planning been going? Jane sounded happy on the phone when I talked to her."

"It's been going well. Invitations have been sent out and the menu is planned out. We're picking out bridesmaid dresses tomorrow."

Charlotte nods and Lizzie continues chatting about the preparations while Charlotte studies her best friend. Lizzie looks okay; she smiles and laughs as she recounts a story about Lydia snapping at Caroline. But Charlotte knows her best friend better than anyone and she notices the dark circles, brushed over with cover-up, under Lizzie's eyes. She notices Lizzie's glances at the camera and then her quick glances at her lap.

"Lizzie," Charlotte interrupts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Lizzie says too quickly. "I'm fine, why?"

"You keep avoiding the camera. Is it hard to be talking to the internet again?" Charlotte guesses.

"No…it's just…I keep wondering if any of my old viewers are watching…"

If Lizzie read the comments on the videos once they had been posted by Pemberley she would know that they were (and that they wanted to know about Darcy).

But Lizzie doesn't read the comments (and she doesn't talk about Darcy).

Charlotte nods pensively. "Do you want them to be watching?"

"Not really…I feel as though I've disappointed them…you know what I mean Char?"

Charlotte does know what she means, but she wants to force Lizzie to clarify, it's for her own good, so she shakes her head no.

"You know, with Darcy and stuff. They wanted us together so badly and when we finally got together we couldn't even last over a year. Remember when we first decided to stop filming and I wanted to take the videos down, but you told me we should keep them up because Darcy and I were an example of how possible true love is, remember all that?"

Charlotte nods slowly, wondering exactly where her friend is going with this.

"Well, we aren't an example of that. Jane and Bing are an example of true love. Darcy and I…we're an example of how much the past matters. And I just feel…I feel like such a disappointment because I'm so…I'm disappointed in myself."

"Are you disappointed that you're not with him anymore?" Charlotte asks carefully.

Lizzie doesn't look her friend in the face and if Charlotte wasn't watching Lizzie's every move carefully she might have missed the small nod given.

Lizzie doesn't cry easily in front of others, not from emotional pain anyway. Physical pain is another story; Charlotte remembers very clearly the millions of tears shed when Lizzie got hit in the face by eight year old Ricky's kickball.

But emotional pain is different. Lizzie didn't cry when she and Charlotte found Benjamin, Lizzie's first boyfriend in ninth grade, kissing Marissa, a transfer student from France, in the second floor science lab.

Charlotte suspected that Lizzie cried later in her bedroom, but she didn't cry when they found him, because Charlotte, Benjamin, and Marissa were standing there watching her.

Lizzie wasn't much for letting people, even people she loved, see her upset. So Charlotte is surprised to hear the hiccupping breaths from her best friends. She takes Lizzie's hand and Lizzie finally looks up at her best friend. Lizzie eyes are red and her cheeks are tear-stained.

Charlotte wraps her arms around her friend and then her eyes fall on the camera. Her breath catches in her throat as she remembers the best part of the Domino app: it auto edits and auto uploads. _Well there goes these vides being less personal than Gigi's, _Charlotte thinks.

"Domino end recording," she speaks to the computer.

**A/N: Well I guess this is going to be over 5 chapters... Thanks as always for all the nice reviews! I'm eagerly awaiting Monday, but I think I'll be able to post another chapter tomorrow...I should probably start wrapping this up... :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"William Darcy, have you seen it?!" Gigi squeals as she rounds the corner to her brother's office. She barges through the door without knocking, and immediately regrets it.

Katelyn must have decided to stop by for lunch, judging by the Thai takeout containers on the desk, and she and Will are in a rather…compromising position.

Gigi can't help but flash back to the first time she walked in on Will and Lizzie making out in Will's office. It wasn't like either of them were much for PDA, but Gigi learned to knock when entering either of their offices without calling or texting ahead.

But Gigi would never have expected Katelyn to be as careless as Lizzie was. Lizzie at least sometimes remembered to lock the door.

Gigi coughs loudly, because the couple seems not to have noticed her entrance; they seem too intent on eating each other's faces. Will looks up and quickly disentangles himself from his girlfriend.

"Gigi! I wasn't…um…expecting you for lunch…" Will says awkwardly, his ears and cheeks turning bright red.

"It's two in the afternoon, so I kind of expected you to be done with lunch," Gigi says, a small smile creeping onto her face. William is still firmly under the impression that his baby sister feels awkward that her brother is dating. Gigi has decided that it's best to keep it from him what he and Katelyn when they were drunk at karaoke.

"I can come back later though…" Gigi continues, backing towards the door.

"No," Katelyn says, standing up from Will's lap. "Uh, I have to get back home anyway, that piece I was telling you about is due by four." Katelyn is working on her doctorate, but writes part time for a medical blog. "I'll call you tonight Will." She leans down for one more kiss and then walks towards the door. "Bye Gigi," she says with a wave, and then she's gone.

"So, do you want to talk about…" Gigi begins, a laugh bubbling up inside her at Will's blush.

"No," Will says interrupting her before getting up to close the door so that they have privacy. "What do you want anyway Gigi?"

"Hey, don't be mad at me!" Gigi says still smiling, even as Will's frown deepens. "Just imagine if it had been Fitz! Learn to lock your door!"

"Learn to knock!" Will retorts, but a smile grows on his face too.

Gigi sits on the couch in his office and Will resumes his place behind his desk, already ruffling through his drawer for some paper work. It isn't until he turns to his computer that Gigi recalls why she came.

"So have you seen it Will?" she ask eagerly.

"Seen what?" he replies without looking up at her.

"Lizzie's video, of course!"

Will's fingers stop typing, but he still doesn't look up at his sister.

"I thought she stopped doing her video blog?"

"Not her video blog! The video for Domino promotion! Really Will? Do you have no idea what your employees even do?" Gigi says teasingly.

"I try not to involve myself in matters of Lizzie's business. It is not directly correlated to mine. I was however aware that she was making Domino promotion videos, although I have not had time to see them. Mr. Richards is handling that job at the moment." Will replies stiffly, pulling his chin in towards his neck.

Gigi can't help but give an exasperated sigh. Her brother is so hopeless. She walks over behind him and leans in to open up Youtube on his laptop, but William grabs her hand to stop her.

"I'm not watching them Gigi."

"You don't have to watch all of them, just the latest one."

"I don't care if you and Fitz want us back together. It didn't work and I'm happy with Katelyn now. Do you just not care if I'm happy?"

Gigi stops struggling to pull up the video at this statement.

"If you were actually happy I would let you be. Katelyn's nice and all Will, but she's not Lizzie and you don't love her. Fitz and I know it. Even Bing knows it, though he's too afraid, and in love, to tell you. I think you know it too and you're just too much of a coward to break it off. You think you're too far in. But you're just stringing her along Will! You're stringing Katelyn along! And some day she's going to find out William! Someday she'll find out how you're using her and it will hurt her more! Trust me, I know!"

Gigi spits out all the words bitterly, and Will lets go of her hands in surprise. Gigi backs away quickly from his desk, moving like a wounded animal.

"Gigi," Will says softly. "We got him back, you know…Wickham…he's gone now."

Gigi breathes deeply and tries to clear her head. He's gone, and the whole experience was for the best in the end anyway. She met Lydia and they're both okay now. Both okay.

"Just be honest with me Will," she says quietly. "Does part of you, even a little part, still love Lizzie?"

"Part of me still loves the idea of her," he responds, staring at his computer screen. He glances back up at his sister. "I never really knew her, even after I thought I knew her the second time. Part of me will always love who I think she is, but now I just…I don't know Gigi…" he looks back at the screen.

"Just watch the video Will," Gigi says, and then leaves his office without another word.

William Darcy pulls up the Pemberley Youtube channel and the most recent video posted on it. He stares at it for twenty minutes, before shutting the window down, without pressing play.

**A/N: AHHH! NO WILLIAM! HOW COULD YOU? Sorry...I get kind of emotional while writing fanfic :) I promise the next installment shall come soon, and now I'm off to bed and dreams of what will come during tomorrow's episode! **


	7. Chapter 7

Bing Lee calls his best friend two weeks before the wedding.

"Where are you?" Bing says by way of greeting. His voice sounds frazzled and Darcy can imagine Bing running his hands through his already messy hair.

"Um…my office…?" Darcy responds cautiously, not sure where this conversation is going.

"I'm outside," Bing responds without hesitation.

"What? Why?"

"You have five minutes to get down here. Katelyn's already in the car and you're both going to be my guests at Netherfield for a few weeks."

And with that the line goes dead.

The way Bing says the word 'guests' makes Darcy feel a little nervous. When he'd been dating Lizzie he got used to running interference whenever Mrs. Bennet was concerned and he's pretty sure this is what Bing has in mind.

With a sigh Darcy shuts down his laptop and grabs his briefcase from the chair by his desk.

"Mrs. Reynolds," he says to his secretary as he locks his office door. "It seems I'm going to be out of the office for a little while. Please make sure I'm skyped in during the conferences with India."

"Of course," Mrs. Reynolds says with a small smile at the annoyed expression on Darcy's face. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, please call Gigi and tell her to drive my car over to Netherfield, it's parked in B lot. Tell her to pack some clothes for me. And for herself as well. Inform her that she'll be spending some time there."

_If I'm going down, she's coming with me, _Darcy thinks, a small smile creeps across his face. He's certain that Lydia will be doing sock slides in the front hall this evening.

"Lizzie!" Lydia says bouncing into her sister's room. "Want to come do sock slides?"

Lizzie smiles widely at Lydia's giddiness. "Sure," she responds, getting up to grab some fuzzy socks from her dresser.

As she picks out a good pair Lydia grabs some boots from Lizzie's closet and hands them to her. Lizzie gives her younger sister a puzzled look. As far as Lizzie remembers, shoes aren't really helpful when doing _SOCK_ slides.

"We're going to Netherfield," she says nonchalantly.

Lizzie stops dead in her tracks. "Why?"

"Gigi invited us! She and Jane are already waiting downstairs. Come on!" Lydia squeals, forcing the shoes into her sister's hands.

"Since when is Gigi at Netherfield?" Lizzie asks, confused.

"She came back with Bing and Darcy!" Lydia says happily, and then pauses as the meaning of her own words sink in.

Darcy is going to be there," Lizzie say stiffly. She knows he'll have seen the video by now, Gigi wouldn't have let him miss it.

"Maybe," she says. "But whatever Lizzie! Don't let him get you down. It's not like Darce would do sock slides with us anyway! Please come! Unless you would rather order flowers with Mom…" Lydia adds slyly.

Lizzie sighs and pulls on her shoes. "I'll be down in two minutes."

Lydia pumps her fist and yells in triumph as she sprints down the stairs to bring the good news to Jane and Gigi.

Lizzie runs a brush through her hair and loosely braids it down her back. Lydia's right, Darcy is not going to ruin tonight. He probably won't even be there. She takes one last look at her reflection and tries to give a true smile. Her features brighten and before she can lose the happiness she runs down the stairs after Lydia.

"Shotgun!" she calls happily.

"Sock slides," Bing remarks as he comes down the stairs, stopping to sit on the third step from the bottom, watching the mayhem in the front hall. "I should have expected as much."

He smiles and Jane climbs up the steps to sit with him. She yawns and nuzzles her head into his shoulder.

"You guys staying tonight?" Bing directs the question towards Lizzie, as both Gigi and Lydia are laughing too hard to hear him.

"Oh I don't know…" Lizzie says. "You guys have enough space?"

Bing laughs, and Lizzie joins in at how ridiculous the question is.

"Yeah, I'll take Jane up to bed," he says, helping his fiancée to her feet. "You guys can choose any of our guest rooms when you're done here."

"Night," Lizzie says with a smile, as she watches the happy couple stumble off to bed.

She pulls out her phone and types a quick text to her dad, letting him know they're safe and staying over at Netherfield.

She watches Lydia and Gigi laughing a bit longer before heading up to the second floor of the house. She walks to the end of the hall and opens the door to the room she stayed in when she was last at Netherfield.

On the bed sits a very beautiful girl. She has a slim frame and her face is round and shining, as she pursues what seems to be a medical text book. She has light blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lizzie says quite surprised and apologetic.

"No problem!" the girl responds with a bright smile. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Oh no," Lizzie replies, stepping a little farther into the room, but propping the door open behind her. "I'm just looking for and empty guest room, I'm Jane's sister."

"Oh!" the girl responds, recognition dawning. "It's nice to meet you! I wasn't aware that you were over tonight; I'm afraid I've been so rude, avoiding people all day. I've been studying," she says holding up the book unnecessarily.

"I'm Lizzie," Lizzie says taking another step into the room.

"Katelyn," the girl says standing. "I'm Will's girlfriend."

_So this is Katelyn, _Lizzie thinks, taking another look at the girl. She wonders how much Katelyn knows about her, apparently not a lot. Before she can form a response, there's a light knock on the door.

"Katelyn?" a voice says questioningly.

Lizzie feels a pang as she remembers how that voice used to say her name.

"Will!" Katelyn says with a smile, walking to her boyfriend and giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

Darcy is wearing plaid pajama pants and a white T-shirt. His dark hair is slightly messy.

"I was just meeting Lizzie," Katelyn says, gesturing at the other girl.

"Oh," Darcy says looking at Lizzie awkwardly. "I wasn't aware you were here tonight Lizzie."

"Um, yeah. Kind of a spontaneous thing. Sock slides," she says trying to explain, and then realizing that her sentences are choppy and she probably sounds crazy. "I was just leaving. Tired." she silently curses her lack of speaking ability and backs out of the room awkwardly, before dashing down the hall and to the guest room farthest from the one she just exited.

"What's the deal with Lizzie?" Katelyn asks quietly, as she snuggles into her boyfriend's arms.

"What do you mean?" Will says stiffly.

"Where do you know her from?" Katelyn presses.

"She's Jane's sister," he says shortly.

"I'm not blind Will!" Katelyn replies, her tone annoyed.

"We dated…for a while…" he says softly.

"Oh," Katelyn responds quietly.

"Over a year."

"Oh," Katelyn says again. "You loved her very much?" she whispers.

"Very," Will replies. "But not anymore," he whispers back, before pressing his lips to hers.

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer. _Living in the present, not the lost past, _Darcy reminds himself, trying to ignore the look on Lizzie's face as she exited the room.

**A/N: I'm trying so hard to wrap it up, but obviously having trouble with that... :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So I sort of just realized that I never put a disclaimer on this...really sorry... I DO NOT OWN P&P OR LBD. **

Lizzie can't sleep. She stares at the ceiling as she tosses and turns in the incredibly comfy bed. She keeps playing her short meeting with Katelyn over in her head.

"_I'm Will's girlfriend." _

Lizzie tries to ignore those sharp pangs of jealousy. _I need a book, _Lizzie thinks. Reading always helps her ease pain. So she swings her legs out of bed and pads barefoot to the door. She slips quietly down the hallway, her feet already knowing the best way to get to where she's going.

It's been a while since she's entered this library and it looks as though Bing, or maybe it was Darcy, got a new lamp by the nice chair in the corner. She turns on the lamp and scans her eyes across the bookshelves, looking for a title that calls to her.

For once it seems like books can offer no comfort. So she curls up in the chair, tucking her feet beneath her. Surrounded by the smell of stories containing happily ever afters, she falls asleep.

Darcy can't sleep. He can't stop imagining her face, not Katelyn's, Lizzie's. Lizzie's face when he entered the room. Lizzie was never that good at hiding her emotions, though she thought she was. _Her expression looked like Katelyn's, _Darcy realizes with a start. Full of love, that's how her face looked. Covered by layers of sorrow, but underneath that, love and longing.

He feels pangs in his chest and he's not entirely sure what they mean. So he slips out of bed, careful not to stir Katelyn. He walks barefoot down the hallway. The guest rooms seem endless and he's not sure which one to knock on. Then he notices the one with the door cracked open. He peeks through the doorway and finds the room empty, but Lizzie's boots are in the corner, so this must be where she's sleeping.

Darcy debates whether to wait here for her or go searching for her. He wonders if maybe he should just wait until morning, after all, Katelyn's asleep in the next room; he shouldn't be looking for Lizzie without talking to Katelyn first. Like Gigi told him to, break it off, tell her the truth. But right now, waiting seems impossible, so he heads to the only room in the house he can imagine her being in.

Lizzie wakes to warm arms around her. Her eyes lightly flutter open and she sees Darcy's face barely two inches from her own. She stifles a scream and settles for just punching him.

He intakes a sharp gust of air as her fist connects with his chest and falls backwards onto the hardwood floors inelegantly.

"Ow!" he gasps, staring up at her, with those too bright blue eyes. "What the hell was that for?"

"What are you doing here?" Lizzie hisses sitting up in the chair and pulling her knees to her chest.

"I was looking for you," he replies without thinking. "I saw you sleeping and thought you'd be more comfortable in a bed."

It's something he would do all the time when they were dating. She'd fall asleep reading and he'd carry her to bed. Sometimes she would just pretend to be asleep so that he'd carry her up.

"Why did you punch me?" Darcy asks again, pulling her back to reality.

"You surprised me," Lizzie replies, but she sticks out a hand to help him off the floor anyway.

He sits in the chair across from her and then realizes he's still grasping her hand. He quickly drops it and they both look down awkwardly.

"Why were you looking for me?" Lizzie asks breaking the silence.

"What?" Darcy ask, preoccupied with staring at her. He's trying to read her expression, see if she still loves him, but she seems to be a little more guarded now and he sees only the layers of sorrow.

"You said you were looking for me," Lizzie presses. "Why?"

She's not really sure she's ever seen Darcy at such a loss for words, he seems to be choosing his words carefully. Lizzie can't help but wish that she could go back and choose all her words more carefully. Then maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. She would never have said all those things about him in her videos.

"Where did we go wrong?" Darcy asks finally.

No, this isn't okay. They're not talking about this again. Not in the middle of the night. Not ever. His stare is really unnerving her.

"Will," she sighs.

"What did you just call me?" he asks, looking a little shocked.

Too late she realizes her mistake. She starts to answer, but Darcy interrupts her.

"Will, you called me Will."

She shakes her head slowly and he runs a hand nervously through his hair.

"I'm going to bed," Lizzie says standing up from the chair and walking past him.

Will stands up too. "Please," he calls. "Please don't."

Without thinking he blurts out the first thing he can think of.

"I love you."

Once he says it he realizes that it isn't a lie. He still loves this woman. He loves her because she's beautiful when her eyes light up as she talks about Russian literature. He loves her because she's strong and she changed and she forces him to become a better person daily. He loves her because she stops when he says that. She stops and turns around and says,

"Bullshit."

Maybe he doesn't love that… But she's blowing up now. Stepping closer to him and talking at a volume that's sure to wake the rest of the house.

"Bullshit William Darcy. Complete and utter bullshit. You don't love me, because if you did you'd let me go. Don't you know that it's hard enough being around you without you pulling this kind of 'I love you' bullshit around me?"

She's right up in his face now, and he's concerned that she might push him again. He knows he deserves this. He's being completely unfair to her, but he also knows that he loves her. Last time she told him that she hated him he left, gave her space. When he told her it wasn't working she left, gave him space. Every time they hit a rough spot they run away. It's the way their relationship has worked, up until now.

"If it was easy it wouldn't be worth it," he replies calmly.

It's an utter cliché and they both know it, but it's also completely true.

"So what?" she says face still hard. "You're just going to dump your sweet beautiful girlfriend to try and repair an already broken relationship with me? It won't work Will, we don't work."

"We don't work because we keep running away instead of toughing it out. We haven't even given us a real shot yet."

He takes her hand gently, but she pulls away.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Katelyn Will. She's nice and doesn't deserve to be used and thrown away like that."

"You sound like Gigi…" Will says softly. "Is it worse if I keep pretending to love her?"

"There's no good way to move forward from here," Lizzie replies softer.

He's not sure if she's referring to him and Katelyn or him and her.


	9. Chapter 9

"YOU WHAT? WILLIAM DARCY I'M GOING TO FREAKING KILL YOU!"

"Gigi, lower you voice," Will says, trying to calm his younger sister while looking nervously in the direction of the other room where Bing, Jane, and Katelyn sit eating lunch. Lizzie and Lydia left mid-morning; Darcy made sure he wasn't around to say goodbye. His work was super important.

"Will, I am thrilled that you decided to tell Lizzie you loved her last night, but seriously? What the hell were you thinking?" Gigi says shaking her head slightly with a wild look in her eyes.

Well, at least she's not screaming anymore, Will thinks grimly, although Gigi looks as though she might actually shake him.

"I wasn't really thinking very clearly," Will admits sheepishly.

"Obviously," Gigi replies dryly. "I mean, what kind of douche goes from one girl's bed to another telling them both he loves them?"

"You think she thought of it like that?" Will says, so clearly surprised, that his sister can't help but laugh, still shaking her head at her brother's ignorance.

"How else would she think about it?"

"Oh no," Will says, running both hands through his hair, until it's sticking almost straight up. "What do I do? What do I do?"

Gigi sighs and takes her brother's hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"You were honest with Lizzie; you think you're up for being honest with Katelyn?"

* * *

He doesn't have a chance to shake his head no, before Gigi is pushing him in the direction of the kitchen.

"It was horrible Lydia!" Lizzie confides in her sister later, as they lie curled up on Lizzie's bed. "He was obviously making fun of me. And if he wasn't…I mean what a douche. What kind of guy goes from one girl's bed to another's?"

She swipes at her eyes, smudging her mascara slightly, but Lydia cannot see her cry over Darcy. Lydia puts a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Not Darce, he doesn't have game, but he's got more game than that," Lydia agrees sympathetically.

"So what? He was just being cruel and teasing me for that video Char accidentally uploaded?" Lizzie retorts, anger creeping into her voice; a mechanism she uses to keep out the hurt. Don't cry, get angry.

"He hasn't seen it, Lizzie," Lydia says quietly.

"What?"

"He doesn't watch them, Gigi told me. She told him to watch that one and he refused. She's almost a hundred percent certain he hasn't seen it."

"But…" Lizzie says confused. "He knew I still liked him… Was he just guessing?"

"You wear it all over your face," Lydia admits, with a small chuckle.

"No I don't," Lizzie counters, refusing to believe that she's THAT transparent.

"You don't have to believe me," Lydia says, full out laughing now. "But it really is clear whenever you look at him."

Lizzie frowns, making a mental note to work on that.

"So he knows and he's making fun of me, nothing changes. He's still a total douche," Lizzie concludes.

"You don't think that," Lydia says, serious again.

Lizzie just shakes her head sadly.

"Maybe it was just a misunderstanding," Lydia says hopefully.

"How do you misunderstand 'I love you'?" Lizzie asks.

It's Lydia's turn to just shake her head sadly.

* * *

"Is everything okay Will?" Katelyn asks, a look of concern creeping onto her face.

Damn it. Why does she have to look at him with concern? She should be slapping him and screaming curse words at him. He deserves worse.

"Um…" he stutters.

Smooth William, very smooth. He wishes he could just write her a letter, but no, he's going to be honest. Completely honest.

"Not really," he starts.

Katelyn's brow furrows, "What's wrong?"

He wishes that he could cushion the blow, but there's no way to, so he just blurts it out.

"I'm in love. With someone else…It isn't fair of me to lie to you anymore or to myself."

Katelyn takes it remarkably well. She stares straight at him, but it looks more as though she's looking through him.

"I'm sorry…" Will trails off.

Katelyn meets his eyes, and her gaze is hard and unrelenting.

"No you aren't Darcy," she spits out his surname. "You're not sorry and this isn't okay, so I'm not going to say it is."

Her whole face is turning red and tears rim her eyes. She swipes them away angrily and steps towards him as though to hit him, but then she stops.

Without another word she storms out. Will stares unseeing at the door.

Bing pokes his head through the door, holding onto Jane's hand. Jane holds a mug of tea in her hands, which she hands to Darcy. He takes a small sip, avoiding Bing's gaze.

"That bad, huh?" Bing asks, when his friend finally meets his gaze.

"I deserved worse," Will replies honestly.

"I'll go talk to her," Bing offers. "Make sure she gets home safely and all."

Darcy nods, half committedly, but Bing takes that as a yes and exits quietly.

Gigi peeks her head around the doorframe. When she sees her brother's expression she enters fully and wraps her arms around him.

"It's okay Will," she reassures him. "She'll be fine. Trust me, it's possible to get over someone breaking your heart," she gives him a small smile. "And you didn't hurt her nearly as much as Wickham hurt me…"

He smiles at her, squeezing her shoulder.

"Darcy?" Jane interrupts quietly. "Did you do this for Lizzie?"

"I love her," he says, trying his best to maintain his policy of honesty.

"Well, isn't there maybe somewhere else you want to be?" she says with a small smile.

"Yes!" Gigi shouts with a smile. "Go Will!"

Darcy shakes his head quickly.

"No, I can't. Not this soon. She won't believe me anyway," he says slightly sadly.

"Just give it a shot," Jane says. "You're going to need to win back her trust, but she still cares about you deeply, Darcy."

Gigi smiles hopefully at him. And he looks between them, glad that Lydia isn't here.

Sighing, he hands Jane the tea and heads to grab his jacket.

* * *

Lydia and Lizzie's phones both go off at the same time. Lydia grabs hers from her pocket and reads the message while Lizzie gets up to find her phone in the purse on her desk.

_To: Lydia Bennet_

_From: Gigi Darcy_

_The tiger is on the way! Jane knows. _

"Don't check it!" Lydia shrieks and practically tackles her older sister to stop her from opening her messages.

"Lydia!" Lizzie screams.

"Don't check the messages!" Lydia repeats, grasping at Lizzie's hands to hinder her.

Lizzie pulls away and opens the messages.

_To: Lizzie Bennet_

_From: Jane Bennet_

_Darcy is coming over. Listen to him explain himself. Please Lizzie. _

Lizzie looks up, anger hardening her features.

"No," she says simply, handing the phone to Lydia, who immediately reads the message and sighs with relief that Jane is helping.

"No," she repeats firmly. "I don't have to listen to him and I won't. You can tell Jane and Gigi that."

With that Lizzie storms out of her room and heads to her car. Lydia listens to her car pull out of the driveway.

"Shit," she whispers to her phone, before typing out a reply to Gigi.

_To: Gigi Darcy_

_From: Lydia Bennet_

_The eagle just took flight. We'll just have to keep on trying _

**A/N: Yay for sisterly support :) Thanks for all of your support on this story! I love you guys 3 (and I'm sorry for breaking your hearts...)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Darcy is persistent. He comes by every day for the next week. Every day Lydia answers the door and just shakes her head.

"Come on Darce," she says quietly on the sixth day this occurs. "You'll see her at the wedding."

"Oh right," he says; he'd completely forgotten that the wedding was in a week. Surprisingly life keeps moving, even when he's hopelessly in love.

"Thanks Lydia," he says with a sharp nod, before turning towards his car.

"Thank you Darcy," she says, putting a light hand on his shoulder. He gives her a questioning look. "For not giving up on Lizzie," she explains. "I don't want my sister to be perpetually single."

She gives him a small smile and he tries his best to return it.

Once Darcy leaves Lydia whips out her phone and calls Gigi.

"Nope," Lydia says by way of hello.

Gigi just sighs loudly on the other end, before hanging up the phone.

Lydia sighs too and heads up the stairs to her sister's room.

"Is he gone?" Lizzie asks, dropping her book, when Lydia flops on her bed.

Lydia just glares at her so Lizzie goes back to reading.

"What are you going to do at the wedding?" Lydia asks exasperatedly.

"Hang out with Charlotte and you and avoid him," Lizzie replies calmly.

"What about after the wedding? Are you staying home?"

"I don't know…" Lizzie says quietly. She'd thought about it a lot, but hadn't come to any real conclusions.

"You can't run forever," Lydia says taking her sister's hand. "Please Lizzie, he loves you. Listen to him."

Lizzie just stares at the words on the page of her book until Lydia leaves. The words blur a little on the page before Lizzie wipes at her eyes.

Even though both Lizzie and Darcy aren't ready, the wedding does come. The service is 'perfect,' as both the bride and groom put it. The months of work pay off; the perfect amount of guests is there, the salmon is perfectly cooked, the white roses perfectly match the light blue bridesmaid gowns, and the music played at the reception is perfect for dancing.

Lizzie watches Jane and Bing dance around and around until her vision is obstructed by a man stepping in front of her.

"Oh god, no. Go away!" she says not meeting his eyes.

"I will if you really want me to," Darcy replies quietly.

Lizzie nods furiously and Darcy steps away, and finds himself face to face with an angry Charlotte.

Thankfully she's not angry at him. She stares straight past him in the direction of her best friend. Charlotte rushes towards Lizzie and grasping her by the arm brings her over to Darcy.

"You two are going to dance now," Charlotte says forcefully.

And surprisingly Lizzie complies. It wasn't only because of Charlotte though; she looks around and notices that about half of the dance room is staring at them, including Lydia, Gigi, Jane, Bing, Caroline (although her stare is more of a glare) and her mother (Mrs. Bennet seems about to faint from delight).

Lizzie puts her hands stiffly on his shoulders. He automatically slips his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She doesn't struggle, but grimaces as a nice long slow song starts.

They sway in silence, both thinking about their first most awkward dance ever. Gigi makes motions at Darcy to talk so he does.

"I broke up with Katelyn," Darcy says quickly, and then mentally curse himself for such a bad first move.

"I know," Lizzie says.

"Look, Lizzie," he says her name softly, and she looks up at him for the first time in a while.

Her gaze stops him mid-sentence. It doesn't look like someone up for giving him another chance, but he has to try anyway.

"I wasn't making fun of you or anything, I think we messed up a lot, I've, um, I've really missed you…"

Before she can respond, the song ends, and Lizzie pulls away quickly. _You can't run forever, _Lizzie thinks, before running towards another corner of the dance room.

Darcy sighs, running a hand through his hair. Gigi comes up behind him and pushes it back down flat.

"Are you going to give up that easily?" she questions.

"Maybe," he replies, but he knows that's a lie. He'll just give her some space, as much as she needs.

So he stays away for three weeks after the wedding. He buries himself in work, while staying at Netherfield, because he isn't ready to go back to San Francisco yet, and risk seeing Katelyn. Gigi pushes him to go over to Lizzie. Lydia pushes him. Even Jane and Bing push him (in their own sweet ways), but he doesn't. That is until Gigi burst in on him in his office one day, thrusting her cell phone at him. He glances down at the message on the screen.

_To: Gigi Darcy_

_From: Lydia Bennet_

_Lizzie's leaving for Chicago in two days_

**A/N: I was so certain this was the last chapter! Oops...probably only a few more? :)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So I came up with a better title while working on this chapter... Anyway... Enjoy :)  
**

"Are you sure about this?" Jane's voice crackles on the end of the telephone. She had called Lizzie from her honeymoon in the Caribbean so the connection wasn't great.

"I'm not really sure about anything," Lizzie admits, as she cradles the phone between her ear and shoulder. She throws another shirt at Lydia, who folds it and places it in the overflowing suitcase.

"But you're still working for Pemberley?" Jane questions.

"Yeah, just at a different branch, like I was in New York."

"So you're running away?"

"No…" Lizzie sighs. "Not running away, just…" She searches for the right words to explain herself, but comes up empty. Lydia's glaring at her with a 'get off the phone and pack your own clothes' look so she wraps up the conversation. "I've got to go Jane. Tell Bing I say hi, and enjoy the beach for me! None of those where I'm going!"

Her sister laughs lightly, and then the line goes dead.

"Finally," Lydia says exasperatedly, throwing some clothes at her sister. "You're definitely going to need two suitcases."

"Yeah, I'll go get one from the basement."

Lizzie is halfway down the stairs to the basement when her phone beeps. She pulls it out of her pocket and finds a text alert from Pemberley Digital. She opens the text which provides her with a link to an 'IMPORTANT DOMINO ANNOUNCMENT VIDEO.'

She pauses, pondering whether this can wait.

"Might as well," she mutters to herself, before plopping down on the steps and hitting play.

Her screen is immediately filled with a nervous looking William Darcy. He's holding a piece of paper in his hand and is half glancing down at it and half staring at the camera.

"If you're expecting an important Domino announcement, I am deeply sorry to disappoint, but this is not it."

Lizzie almost closes out, but his next words stop her.

"Please don't close out of this Lizzie."

So she keeps on watching. He stares directly at his paper and reads off it, a little too fast.

"Dear Lizzie, I sometimes have trouble expressing myself. I said that to you a while ago, under not so different circumstances. I was in love with you and you thought I was a complete douchebag. Now I'm still in love with you, and if Gigi's right, and she usually is, you still think I'm a complete douchebag. I'm not going to try and stop you from leaving, Lizzie, because when you really love someone you'll do anything for them. Even let them go."

He stares directly at the screen then, and Lizzie stares directly back at him, even though neither can see each other. He seems to have reached the end of his script, but he continues talking anyway.

"I thought I knew who you were, but now I'm not so sure. I watched your video, when Gigi told me you were leaving. And who I saw there, wasn't the woman I thought I loved. But I'm pretty sure I love her even more. Just, um, please think about this. We don't have to keep running."

He folds and unfolds his hand uncomfortably, and then the screen goes black.

"Lizzie."

Lydia's standing over her shoulder and Lizzie's not certain how long she's been there or how much she saw. Lizzie feels completely limp as Lydia helps her to her feet.

"I don't even know what to do anymore," Lizzie mutters to her little sister.

* * *

William Darcy receives the text sixteen minutes after his video goes live. He didn't tell anyone he was making it. Just made it, spur of the moment, and before he could lose his nerve, distributed it via text to all Pemberley employees. The text reads:

_To: William Darcy_

_From: Gigi Darcy_

_I. CAN'T. FREAKING. BELIEVE. IT. Get your ass over there right now. _

* * *

Lizzie is drinking tea. It isn't as good as the stuff Jane would make, it has too much honey, but it was nice of Lydia to think of it. She's staring at the suitcases, one overflowing and one empty, crowding her room. She had finally convinced Lydia that she was fine, just needed some time to think, so it's just her and the suitcases.

And her thoughts.

She's not sure she knows the man in this video. She's absolutely certain he's not the Darcy he was, and he's not the Will she thought she loved. He's someone new, and this makes her worry that she never actually knew him, not even after. But she's pretty sure she loves him more too. And maybe he's right. Maybe it would be bad to keep running.

There's a light knock on her door.

"Lydia, really, I'm fine," she calls.

"It's, uh, it's not Lydia," Darcy calls back.

_Of course, _Lizzie thinks, _since when has Lydia ever knocked? _She pulls herself off the bed, and considers her appearance. She's in leggings and a baggy sweatshirt that curls over her fingers, but there isn't much she can do about it so she just pulls open the door.

Darcy looks uncomfortable, but enters and sits on her bed. She sits next to him and they stay in silence for a few minutes before he starts talking.

"I'm William Darcy, I like it when you call me Will, but everyone else calls me Darcy. I guess I'm fine if you'd want to call me that. I tend to make bad first impressions. And second impressions. And usually third and fourth impressions too," he gives her a small smile, and she finds herself smiling back. "I'd really like it if you'd want to help me fix that."

He looks at her seriously, his brow furrowing slightly, and his face alight with something Lizzie can't place. Hope she decides, finally. He looks hopeful.

"I'm Elizabeth Bennet," she replies, quietly, staring back at him. "Everyone calls me Lizzie. Everyone. I tend to judge people quickly. I think I could help you fix your problems if you could help me fix mine."

He nods, and she reaches for his hand. He folds his around it without taking his eyes off his face.

"It may not work out perfectly," she adds.

"I don't need perfect," he says.

"Me either," she says.

Lydia and Gigi find them an hour later, putting all of Lizzie's clothes back into the drawers.

**A/N: So I'm pretty sure that's it! :) Hope you liked the ending! **


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